Hey, Little Dude - thanks for the info - that's exactly what I was hoping to find - someone with real world experience with the situation in Sacramento. Now all I need is for GG to get their shipment in!

I'm new around here; replying 5 months after the message below.
I just got one of these cool DirectTV HD DVR units. Its not installed yet. But as an owner of a fixed-pixel display, 720p native Samsung HLN, I have found it beneficial to change the output of my cable box (to be retired next week) to match the broadcast signal HD signal.

My TV's Faroujda chipset simply does a better job of converting 1080i to 720p than the chips in my Motorola HD cable box. A 1080i signal looks crisper when converted by my tv than it does when converted by my cable box. The difference is subtle, and most consumers probably wouldn't care.

Has anyone found the same experience with the DirectTV units? I'll certainly play with it once my installer comes; but I expect that I'll want ABC-HD and ESPN-HD (and eventually FOX-HD when that happens) to be output in 720p, and the rest in 1080i.

Quote:

Originally posted by Darin The ONLY display technology in use today that doesn't have an inherent "native" resolution is CRT. CRT can simply change the number of lines it does in one scan to accommodate any number of resolutions. But unfortunately, most CRT HD sets available don't take advantage of this ability. The electronics within them are designed to scan at one or maybe two specific frequencies (usually 1080, and maybe additionally 480 for SD), and separate electronics in the set run the image through interpolation when the incoming signal does not match that resolution. Why they do this, I don't know, because the picture would look best if displayed at it's original resolution rather than interpolated to another. Practically all CRT based computer monitors, even cheap sub-$100 ones, do multi-scan, so why this ability can mostly only be found in high-end projectors is a mystery to me.

Anyway, all the other display types have a fixed pixel geometry, no matter what you do with the incoming signal, they only have a specific amount of physical pixels to work with, so they MUST interpolate the incoming signal to match their native resolution, if it's not the same already.

So this is why most (all???) STBs don't simply output whatever resolution the original signal is, because unless you have one of those relatively rare CRT sets that can do multiscan, the TV is going to convert it to a specific resolution anyway. So all things being equal, it's better to do that conversion in the STB while the signal is still digital, and it ensures the guide and other STB generated graphics look better (they don't end up going through an interpolation).

That's why I said the ability to switch output resolutions would benefit high-end CRT owners, because this would let them override the automatic interpolation to a specific resolution, and get the best PQ possible out of the incoming signal. And those who wanted to take advantage of that ability would most likely know which networks are which. For everyone else, leaving it set to the native resolution of your TV is generally best. FWIW, to the best of my knowledge, ABC, ESPN, and in the fall, FOX, use 720p, while all the others use 1080i.

Keep in mind, the current plan is for stations to give up one of their frequencies when the transition to digital reaches 85% of homes. FCC says 2006, we all know it will take longer. But eventually, unless the rules are changed, the stations will go to just one channel, and if they have a VHF, they're likely to use it.

Quote:

Originally posted by Gromit Thanks! I just checked and the stations I need are UHF only (no VHF). I guess that makes it a bit easier. I'll check out the Channel Master 4228. Ooops, NBC is VHF.

Is there a problem with having my switch outside? That just makes it easier to run the lines upstairs (2 story family room makes things difficult). I'm guessing it doesn't matter either way. It sounds like the OTA antenna signal can go to the switch or the receiver. I'll have to figure out which will be easier.

I think I'm going to be OK with the OTA signal strength, I just hope I can get away with putting the antenna in the attic vs on the roof.

Originally posted by Special_Ed21 I have the Samsung HLN617w DLP and have pre-ordered the HR10-250 HD. It looks like I will be switching resolutions often using the up arrow on the remote or the front panel switch. Unfortunately my mother is very tech challenged and will be very confused as to which resolution to use and will probably just watch whatever setting it happens to be on.

I want to know if the SD signals will look better with the DVI output than my current Hughes HDVR2 S-video output. Any thoughts on this?

I don't have the HD Tivo hooked up yet, but in my previous experience with DVI-enabled DVD players attached to my Samsung HLN50something, 480i or p over DVI results in a very small picture. It is not scaled to fill the screen horizontally. Its like a window in the middle of the screen. I imagine it will be the same with the HD Tivo and the Samsung; thus I will only be switching between 720p and 1080i, with 720p being used for 480i and 480p.

One question:Do I need a connected phone line to download the TiVo program information to use the TiVo/DirectTV HD recorder? Or does the TiVo recorder use DirectTV's program information downloaded from the satellite?

One question:Do I need a connected phone line to download the TiVo program information to use the TiVo/DirectTV HD recorder? Or does the TiVo recorder use DirectTV's program information downloaded from the satellite?

You need a phone line connected to do the initial setup. However if you can set up PPP over serial through your computer, you can manage without.

You only need a phone line connected for DirecTV PPV payment data to be sent back, and for TiVo software updates and anonymous viewer data reporting (though PPP over serial works for software updates and anonymous viewer data).

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Originally posted by dswallow You need a phone line connected to do the initial setup. However if you can set up PPP over serial through your computer, you can manage without.

You only need a phone line connected for DirecTV PPV payment data to be sent back, and for TiVo software updates and anonymous viewer data reporting (though PPP over serial works for software updates and anonymous viewer data).

So once the box is setup (one time only ideally) via the phone line, I shouldn't need to reconnect the PVR/DTV Receiver to a phone line for normal TiVo operation? (This is important because a nearest phone line is over 50 feet away.)

Originally posted by Castaa So once the box is setup (one time only ideally) via the phone line, I shouldn't need to reconnect the PVR/DTV Receiver to a phone line for normal TiVo operation? (This is important because a nearest phone line is over 50 feet away.)

And thanks for the reply!

Yeah, you could just reconnect it for a short time and force a daily call when you heard a new software update was out for it.

But if you've got a phone line, and it's just a matter of connecting to it over a distance, there's wireless powerline phone extensions that work just fine with the unit that you could use, then you'd also have the PPV functionality and no worries about watching for software updates around here.

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Originally posted by dswallow Yeah, you could just reconnect it for a short time and force a daily call when you heard a new software update was out for it.

But if you've got a phone line, and it's just a matter of connecting to it over a distance, there's wireless powerline phone extensions that work just fine with the unit that you could use, then you'd also have the PPV functionality and no worries about watching for software updates around here.

Well heck. I'm sold!

What is currently the best method/deal of getting a DirecTV HR10-250 DirecTV with TiVo, the DirectTV SD/HD packages and the HD dish?

You need Totoal choice or better. If you want HDTV programming from the sat you will need the HD package and/or HBO and/or SHO. It is $999 everywhere and is under high demand, so just order it anywhere you can get it soon from. They should give you the Phase 3 dish (multisat) for free if you sign for a year of Total choice with HDTV package.

Generic video question here.......my CRT TV is only capable of displaying 480i, 480p, and 1080i according to the manual. How does the HD-Tivo handle 720p with my display options? Does it do a conversion or will I not be able to view stations broadcasting with the 720p format? Does a FAQ on any of this exist somewhere?

Originally posted by auee Generic video question here.......my CRT TV is only capable of displaying 480i, 480p, and 1080i according to the manual. How does the HD-Tivo handle 720p with my display options? Does it do a conversion or will I not be able to view stations broadcasting with the 720p format? Does a FAQ on any of this exist somewhere?

Thanks!

This is the FAQ thread you've posted your question to. From the first post in this thread:

Quote:

What output formats/resizing does this DirecTV HD TiVo support?

A Setup menu allows you to specify the Output Formats (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i) your TV is capable of displaying. While watching live TV or a recorded program, you can simply press the UP arrow on your remote to toggle between the output formats your TV supports. All programs are converted to the selected format. There is also a button on the front of the unit giving the same control.

I've read all the posts in this thread and have a few followup questions that I'm hoping to get some help with:

1. Is there any way to set the TiVo so that it will automatically switch the output format to the native output format (I have a Samsung HLP and I'd rather let it do the converting)?

2. Can the TiVo indicate swhat the native output format of a particular program is?

3. Does the TiVo have a signal meter? If not, what is the best (easiest, quickest and least expensive) way to set my outdoor antenna to get the best signal (I live in NJ about 20 miles from NYC).

4. If I have the TiVo set to 720p, for a 480i (SD) program, does anyone know how the picture will look on a Samsung DLP set? Will it fill the entire screen?

5. In the TiVo setup, there is an option for "TV Aspect Correction". The two choices are "Full" and "Panel (letterboxing/sidebars)". The manual then says that if the TV supports "zoom" mode you can select "full" and the picture will be stretched and no side bars will be shown. I'm not sure which is the best option to select for the Samsung HLP set.

Originally posted by RMSko
1. Is there any way to set the TiVo so that it will automatically switch the output format to the native output format (I have a Samsung HLP and I'd rather let it do the converting)?

No.

Quote:

2. Can the TiVo indicate swhat the native output format of a particular program is?

No.

Quote:

3. Does the TiVo have a signal meter? If not, what is the best (easiest, quickest and least expensive) way to set my outdoor antenna to get the best signal (I live in NJ about 20 miles from NYC).

Yes - you can test the signals of the satellites and the local digital channels.

Quote:

4. If I have the TiVo set to 720p, for a 480i (SD) program, does anyone know how the picture will look on a Samsung DLP set? Will it fill the entire screen?

I don't have this set, but in my experience it's best to output as close to native as possible because up-converts of 480i don't look real good to me.

Quote:

5. In the TiVo setup, there is an option for "TV Aspect Correction". The two choices are "Full" and "Panel (letterboxing/sidebars)". The manual then says that if the TV supports "zoom" mode you can select "full" and the picture will be stretched and no side bars will be shown. I'm not sure which is the best option to select for the Samsung HLP set.

Originally posted by Scaroth Yes - you can test the signals of the satellites and the local digital channels.

In looking through the manual I noticed that during setup there is an option to "Test Satellite Signal", however, there is no mention of it also testing the OTA signal and the picture in the manual seems to limit this to the satellite signal. Does the manual just miss this point and is this the place in setup where it will also test the OTA signal?

Can't remember exactly where the OTA signal test/meter is in the menu structure, but it is close to the one for satellite and works about the same.

There is also a two-button operation on the front of the TiVo unit that provides a bunch of information on a single screen, including signal strength/quality for all four tuners. This feature is not documented to my knowledge (in the manual). I don't remember which two buttons off-hand (my notes are at home) and I don't recall whether the readings on this page are static (frozen readings from the time the page was initially displayed) or dynamic (signal strength/quality readings varying in real time). I am at work and cannot verify any of this right now.

Originally posted by RMSko In looking through the manual I noticed that during setup there is an option to "Test Satellite Signal", however, there is no mention of it also testing the OTA signal and the picture in the manual seems to limit this to the satellite signal. Does the manual just miss this point and is this the place in setup where it will also test the OTA signal?

Originally posted by Manolo
The only problem is, though S-video looks perfectly crisp, component cables in 480i, 480p, or 1080i look like bad MPEGs. The text is all blockly like a VCD would look.

It might have something to do with your display's native resolution - does it conform to what it's given? The s-vhs input will always be 480i and the display will know this, but on component it might be locking the resolution??

Quick question.
I have 2 feeds coming into the HR10-250 from the sat and I selected the 2 input option during the initial setup, but I am continually getting scheduling conflicts when I change channels while it is recording what I am watching.
What gives?

Originally posted by RobHT Quick question.
I have 2 feeds coming into the HR10-250 from the sat and I selected the 2 input option during the initial setup, but I am continually getting scheduling conflicts when I change channels while it is recording what I am watching.
What gives?

Do you have suggestions or Starz On Demand enabled? Is it possible it's recording one of those on the other tuner? Are you completely sure you don't have two things scheduled to record? Try doing a down arrow to swap tuners and see if the other one is recording something then this happens.

Yes, I have suggestions enabled but no Starz. Should I turn 'suggestions' off?

I will give that a try. If only one thing is being recorded, does the HD-Tivo automatically switch to the 2nd tuner when I change channels or do I have to manually instruct it to do so?

Well, I turn off suggestions personally. With all the extra recording space, it just makes for too much stuff in the lists. I go and look at the suggestion list now and again and pick some thing to record. So that's a personal choice. If you turn know it's a suggestion being recorded, you can just abort it if you want to watch something live. The only downside of that is you probably end up with a "partial" recording in your list.

If the second tuner is free and the current tuner is being recorded and you change channels, it should switch to the second tuner automatically. The down arrow (or LiveTV) button lets you toggle between the two if you're curious what each one is doing but you don't *have* to do it to make it work.

I'm new to this site, and I just wanted to get your opinion. I have a Sony KF50-WE610 (LCD widescreen) TV. It only has one DVI input. Currently, I have it hooked up to my Samsung HD-931 DVD player (which I bought solely because it had a DVI connection). I just got the HR10-250 yesterday. Obviously I want the best pic resolution possible. So do you guys suggest I use the DVI input on my TV with the DVD player or the receiver? In which case I would use component video on the other.

I read somewhere that the HDMI/DVI connection on the HR10-250 can cause some wash-out on some TV's, but just wanted to see if anyone else has run into this issue and what you did.

I just helped a friend install that same Sony LCD TV and we connected his new HR10-250 via DVI. It looked spectacular. His HD TiVo is replacing a Hughes HD DirectV set top box and the TiVo looked every bit as good as the Hughes it was replacing.

Given the choice, I would hook up the 480p progressive scan DVD player via component and reserve the 1080i capable HD Tivo for the DVI port on your Sony.

Of course you could always set the devices up either way and then swap them before you make the final call on what works best for your situation.